PANews reported on May 12 that a senior U.S. Department of Defense official estimated the latest cost of the war with Iran at approximately $29 billion, an increase of about $4 billion from an estimate made less than two weeks ago. Acting Comptroller General Jules Hearst told a House Appropriations Subcommittee on Tuesday that the total cost of the war is "close to $29 billion," due to the additional operational costs of maintaining U.S. military deployments in the Middle East, as well as the cost of updating equipment repair and replacement. This figure is about 16% higher than his estimate of $25 billion when he testified before the House Armed Services Committee on April 29. Hearst also hinted that the cost figure may continue to change in the future.